Attack on Titan: SYOC
by Sen-tsuki
Summary: A submit your own oc fic. Take part of the 104th trainee legion to save humanity and slay all the titans! This story follows the main events of the anime only the top ten and some other characters are replaced by submitted ocs. (closed)
1. Info

In this there will be spoilers. I will follow the anime and the manga though I'll add a bunch of original content, dialogue and other stuff. The story will be updated on an irregular basis though I'll try to submit at least 1 chapter per month. Ideas and feedback will be helpful!

 **Some guidelines for ocs:**

\- No overpowered ocs

\- There will only be two Ackerman ocs (closed)

\- There will only be one oc from the Asian clan (closed)

\- Ocs MUST be in the top 10 if a trainee. Some exceptions like being notably intelligent or somehow related to the top 10. If a part of the Garrison or Survey corps it doesn't have to.

\- I will mostly pick the first few ocs but if most are titan shifters or are ridiculously overpowered then no.

\- Ocs should be human

\- I need a descendant from the Reiss family (closed)

\- I need a Colossus Titan shifter or any Titan shifter really (open)

 **Warnings:**

\- I might kill ocs so if you specifically don't want your oc to die just add it in the form

\- I will make some ocs antagonists

\- If you don't want your ocs to specifically do or be anything just add it in the form

\- Information from you ocs may be changed to suite the story

 **Here's the submission form:**

Full name:

Age:

Personality:

Gender:

Sexuality:

Height:

Eye color:

Hair color/style:

Body type (e.g. petite, lanky)

Birthplace (e.g. Trost, Shiganshina):

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Likes:

Dislikes:

 **If trainee**

Reason for becoming a trainee:

Titan shifter: (yes/no)

What titan can they transform into (e.g. Colossus, female, armored, original - describe if it is):

Rank (1-10):

 **Not trainee**

Reason for joining the garrison/survey corps/military police:

Status (e.g. commanding officer, corporal):

 **Optional**

Family (Have they lost anyone? How?):

Habits/quirk (what makes them stand out?)

Dream for the future:

Stats:

Nationality:

And any other information you'd like to add:

* * *

 **Accepted ocs**

Trainees/cadets:

(Rank 1) Shiro Ackerman - stigma14

(Rank 2) Winston Godfrey Pembroke - pine swiftwings

(Rank 3) Adrian Brant - Daisy-is-Lazy

(Rank 4) Ichirou Kita - JustUsingARandomName

(Rank 5) Miriam Smith - Other

(Rank 6) Claude Rousseau - Other

(Rank 7) Davis Kneebham - TristanLeo

(Rank 8) Maya Ackerman - Childish'paw

(Rank 9) Asher Merrick O'Shea - Snow Bender

(Rank 10) Yvette Stephens - Sen-Tsuki

Marie Lueur - Mary Allen

Luna Boyle - EquestrianWarrior

Iceco Joesph Keys - Rocket Rover

Herbert Zoe - Other

Steven Wonders - Other

Other:

Nicholas Dracht - ShinBP

If in the future chapters I write your character out of character please tell me. To submit the form either put it in review or PM me (also guest submitting isn't really recommended because I can't contact you).


	2. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan nor do I own any of the characters in the story.**

Ichirou | Shiro

* * *

" _To You, in 2000 years: The fall of Shinganshina_ "

* * *

 _"Ichirou"_ A pair of hands shook him gently. _"Ichirou"_

The faint voice called him back to reality. Ichirou's eyes fluttered open, meeting the azure gaze of his friend.

"Huh? Shiro…," he mumbled, sitting up. "Where are we?"

"We were collecting wood for your mother before you fell asleep," Shiro replied tersely. He looked at Ichirou before making his way down the hill. Ichirou understood his silent instruction, scrambling to his feet, grabbing the firewood by his side and following him down.

"A nightmare, huh?" Shiro inquired, barely glancing at the younger male. Ichirou's turquoise orbs looked at him in question.

"You were crying," he stated blatantly.

Ichirou's eyes widened as he quickly wiped his moist eyes. He stared at his wet sleeve in disbelief before looking to Shiro's nonchalant expression which softened after noticing the other's gaze.

"I won't tell anyone," he said reassuringly.

"I-it's not that…" Ichirou trailed off, averting his gaze. "I'm just unsure about why I was crying… I wonder what I was dreaming about" He sighed quietly as they silently made their way to town.

"Hey kids!" Hannes called from the gate. He gave a short wave with a grin. Ichirou noticed the pink dusting his cheeks, _he was drinking on the job again.  
_  
"Morning mister Hannes," he greeted as he approached the drunkard. Hannes' breath reeked of liquor though Ichirou chose not to comment.

"Are you sure you should be drinking on the job?" Shiro asked, raising a brow. His comment caused Hannes to burst into laughter.

"Come on kids, the Titans have only managed to scratch the wall," he said after recovering from his fit of laughter. "There's no way the Titans could actually break in"

"The wall…" Ichirou spoke up suddenly, looking to the walls. "It serves as a barrier between us and them and we are grateful for them, though… doesn't it bother you that we live in a cage? All we do is eat and sleep like caged animals. Don't you…" he paused, hesitant to continue. "Don't you want to see the rest of the world? The world that they've taken from us"

Hannes looked at him with a mixture of bafflement and surprise. He opened his mouth to comment though was interrupted by Shiro - who had seemed to have had enough of the conversation.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing Ichirou's sleeve. He dragged him away from Hannes and his merry gang of drunkards.

"If you kids wanna drink you know where to come!" Hannes joked. The rest of his group erupted into laughter at his comment as they took more swigs of their alcohol.

After their encounter with Hannes, Ichirou and Shiro made their way through town to Ichirou's house though stopped abruptly once hearing the bell for the survey corps chime. The crowd filling the streets dispersed into the sidelines as the gate opened. The scout regiment slowly made their way in, expressions grim and soldiers scarce. Ichirou watched in horror as they passed by. A woman ran up to the commander, face brimmed with worry.

"Moses, Moses, where is he?" She asked, voice wavering. "Please tell me he's with you!"

"I wish we had better news," the commander's face hardened, staring absentmindedly at the woman with a hint of sorrow in his eyes. There was a fleeting moment of silence before he spoke up; "Show her"

A soldier handed her a bundle of cloth which she gingerly took from him. Ichirou peered around the crowd to see what it was. The woman unwrapped the cloth and the sight made him want to puke. It was a disembodied hand, bloodied and bruised.

"He did good yes? Was he brave? His death made something right!?" The woman cried, tears brimming her eyes.

"He was brave but…," the commander looked away, unable to bear the job of bringing the bad news to the woman. "… his sacrifice meant nothing" He returned his gaze to the woman, speaking to her in a shout, "Humanity didn't move forward at all! His death was because of me, I sent him to his death. I sent everyone to their deaths!"

The commander left shortly after, leaving the crowd in a silent stupor. Moments after, the crowd burst into murmurs, all conversations some sort of bad talk about the scouts.

"We should go, my parents must be getting worried," Ichirou mumbled to Shiro, suddenly feeling sick.

"I'm going to join the scouts and change that," Shiro's voice was hardly audible.

Ichirou looked at him in disbelief, sputtering, "w-what!?"

The two stood staring at one another in silence, Shiro with an impassive look while Ichirou with a look of horror.

"Let's just go," Shiro broke the silence. He sighed as he turned away. Ichirou followed him, a dumbfounded expression still evident on his features.

* * *

"Welcome back," Ichirou mother greeted. She offered a welcoming smile from her station at the kitchen bench. Ichirou's younger sisters crowded their mother, eagerly watching her prepare dinner while his brother sat idly on the dinner table.

"Hi," Ichirou said as he unloaded the firewood in the fireplace.

"Good afternoon Mr. and Ms. Kita," Shiro said in conjunction to Ichirou, unloading his share of firewood.

"Oh, thank you so much for helping Ichirou with the firewood," she thanked. "As a reward-" She grabbed a paper lunch bag from the kitchen bench and handed it to Shiro. "For you" Shiro hesitantly accepted, murmuring a quiet 'thank you'.

"It's getting dark, I'll take Shiro home," Ichirou called, from the door - already half way out.

"Come home safely," his mother chirped. Ichirou gave one last wave before forwarding out with Shiro. They walked a few blocks away from the house before conversation ensued.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?" Ichirou inquired, forgetting about their previous conversation. The two were nearing the river which flowed to the inner walls. An orange hue settled on the grass and the river. Shiro looked to the wall and replied, "I was thinking about joining the military…"

Ichirou sighed as he dropped himself onto the grass. "Why would you want to fight the titans though?"

"To end the suffering corrupting this world," Shiro explained. "By joining the military, the survey corps, I may have a chance of reaching that goal"

He took a seat next to Ichirou and closed his eyes. "It's just a childish dream though"

There was a pause before Ichirou decided to speak. "If you work hard for that dream I'm sure-" A sudden crack of thunder interrupted his speech. He hastily turned to the wall - the source of the lightning. Thick plumes of smoke rose from behind the wall. Following the smoke was a hand which clamped itself firmly on the top of the wall. Then there was a head which towered over the Shiganshina district.

 _It was a titan._

* * *

 _"And just like that, everyone changed. At that terrible moment, we knew home was a pen; humans, cattle."_

* * *

 **A/N: Prologue featuring the first two submitted ocs. Thank you for all your interest in this story so far! Since I've gotten so many entries already I decided to go into the prologue (AKA the first episode). I feel like my writing in this chapter is really choppy - I apologize for that. I tend to struggle when there is lots of dialogue. I left the prologue here and have no intentions of continuing it because the next chapter I'll be introducing some other ocs. Submissions are closed until I organize all the characters and the unfinished profiles from other submitters finish their submissions. Characters not from the top 10 are open for submission though (e.g. titan shifters, survey corps members). Also I promise that the next chapter will be more interesting.**

 **Hope I'm handling your ocs alright and hope you liked it. If you have any issues or problems, PM me. Feedback is appreciated!**


	3. Humanity's Comeback (1)

Adrian | Miriam | Asher

* * *

" _A dim light amid despair"_

* * *

The instructor, Keith Shadis, strode across the field, eyeing each trainee with judgement. Occasionally he'd stop to berate some poor cadet about being Titan bait or cannon fodder. His aggressive approach and daunting appearance made the man frightening - Adrian would be surprised if anyone who suffered his scrutiny _didn't_ wet themselves.

She watched as Keith came to an abrupt stop in front of the male two spaces to her right. _The kid was grinning in front of his face_. She watched in amusement, _this was going to end well._

"What is your name cadet?" Keith inquired, his voice threateningly low.

"Claude Rousseau sir," he responded, seemingly oblivious to the man's seething rage. He saluted in a slackened way as if he wanted to further aggravate the man.

"What are you here for cadet?" Keith furthered his inquiries.

"Well you see, being a soldier will up my popularity," Claude explained, he closed his eyes and shrugged. "And if I join the military police, girls will probably swoon at my skills" He opened one eye jubilantly to look at Keith before adding; "Plus I'll be safe from the Titans"

Keith opened his mouth to bark some sort of insult at the boldness of the boy though Claude spoke up first; "By the way sir, do you happen to polish your head? Because whatever you're using, I need some for my shoes"

It seemed that Keith had had enough of the poor kid, slamming his forehead against him. The blow seemed pretty hard - knocking him to his knees. Adrian dwindled on the thought if he was still conscious or not.

"Damn that _hurt_ ," Claude hissed. He was clutching his head in obvious pain. The surrounding cadets barely glanced at him, in fear that Keith may do the same to them.

"Not being able to withstand that blow, how disappointing _Rousseau_ ," Keith said almost mockingly. "Are you sure you're capable of joining the military?!"

"Asshole," Claude muttered under his breath - Adrian suppressed a snicker.

"I heard that!" Keith yelled, Claude winced at his tone. "For speaking in such a manner I'll have you run laps till the sun sets"

"What sort of punishment is that?!" Claude sputtered in disbelief. Keith gave him a look which caused him to whimper before he took off running.

"And who may you be maggot?" Keith asked another male a few spaces from Adrian. The male had clean, silver locks which fell mid back with long bangs draping his left eye. His hair was certainly going to be an issue in battle, Adrian noted. Judging from the way he presented himself, she was pretty sure he was an aristocrat.

"Winston Godfrey Pembroke from the Royal district of wall Sheena," he replied, saluting.

"A pig from the royals? Well, I assure you you won't get any special treatment," Keith yelled before moving on.

"I am well aware sir!" Winston said, watching the instructor walk away. Adrian noticed that there was a hint of nervousness in the air around him - the type you'd only notice if you had known him from years.

* * *

The day was slowly coming to an end as the sun begun to sink into the horizon. Adrian, who sought an isolated place, and a few other female cadets hung around the veranda of the girls barracks. Out of the few faces with her, she only recalled one; Mina Carolina - a girl with her black hair tied in pigtails.

"He's still running," a reddish blonde haired girl snickered, leaning against the railings. "Must suck to be him" The group turned their attention to where the girl was looking to. In the distance, wearily still running, was Claude Rousseau - the bold arrogance who messed with Keith Shadis. While he was running he turned to the direction of the girl's barracks and waved with a smirk. A girl with short black hair returned the wave with a shy smile.

"You know him?" Mina mused, sending a curious glance.

"I-I do, we're friends," the girl replied timidly, fiddling with her fingers. "Well I suppose you could call us that"

"We haven't met," Mina chirped. "I'm Mina Carolina from Karanes"

"Well I'm M-Miriam, Miriam Smith," the shy girl stammered. "Nice to meet you"

"Don't exclude me guys!" The reddish blonde hollered. "I'm Asher Merrick O'Shea also from Karanes, you can call me Ash though"

"How about you?" Miriam asked, peering over to Adrian who was watching the sunset. Adrian tsked in exasperation upon realizing the girl was speaking to her.

"Adrian Brant from wherever," she muttered. "Anything else you want to know?" She sent a threatening glare to the group which made Mina and Miriam shrink back in fear. Of course _not_ all of them did so, Asher still remained all smiley and bubbly.

"If you don't mind me asking, why'd you become a trainee?" Asher inquired. There wasn't the slightest hint of fear evident in her.

"To kill Titans, why else?" Adrian scoffed at the obvious fact.

"Hey guys, I think it's time for dinner," Minna spoke up. Asher and Miriam nodded and the three begun to make their way to the mess hall. Adrian ambled behind, observing the new environment she was in.

* * *

The mess hall was bustling with activity. Adrian sauntered around the room for somewhere quiet to sit. She perked up when a familiar voice called her name.

"Hey Adrian!" Asher called, waving to her enthusiastically from her seat. "Join us" She patted the empty space next to her. Hesitantly, Adrian took it, unease clearly evident on her features.

The table was filled with the group she was with before; Asher, Mina and Miriam. They chatted mindlessly while Adrian tuned out. Her mind wandered to different places as she unhurriedly ate the odd colored liquid they named food. It's taste though, wasn't as grotesque as it appeared.

"You aren't going to eat that?" Asher's voice brought her out of her stupor. She was pointing to Miriam and her untouched piece of bread.

"Claude… he's been running all day," Miriam replied, tucking the bread in her pocket. "I'm sure he'll be hungry"

"He probably won't be," Adrian snickered. "You never know, he might've died from exhaustion"

Miriam looked at her horrified. Adrian couldn't help but feel amused at the gullibility and ignorance the girl had.

"I-I'll check if he's alright!" She squeaked, darting out of the mess hall.

"Don't you want to eat something first?" Asher called though was left unheard by the ebony haired female.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

"So you saw it?" Ichirou nodded.

"Was it really 60 meters tall?!" He nodded again in exasperation.

"It must've been huge to have broken a hole in the wall!" Ichirou froze. His maintained impassive expression began chipping away as he was reminded of the horror of that day. The spoon in his grasp slipped into his bowl. The surrounding crowd's eyes widened before they flooded him with apologies.

"It was huge, it did break the wall," he said quietly. "And it did kill my… all of my"

"Stop," Shiro instructed quietly, placing a hand on Ichirou's shoulder. He gave him a look of concern which Ichirou in response, sighed and dropped his head.

"I think you guys should go now," Shiro suggested, his eyes looking coldly at the fearful crowd. The hastily nodded and left to their tables to finish dinner or do whatever.

"Thanks Shiro," Ichirou thanked quietly, smiling.

* * *

Miriam was hungry though that was the least of her concerns. Her friend had been running till sunset and she was worried about him. Was he dead like Adrian said? She refused to believe that but… what if he was?

"I made it," a weary voice interrupted her train of thought. Miriam looked up to greet the owner of the voice. It was Claude with his neatly combed hair and shit-eating grin. A weight was lifted from her chest and was flooded with relief.

"Tell me Miriam, was any of your friends impressed with my stamina?" He asked through breathes. He collapsed onto the floor in a heaped mess of sweat and exhaustion.

"They didn't speak much about you," she answered as she ran up to his tired form. "You're probably tired and hungry, have this" She offered her loaf of bread despite her stomach's protests for satisfaction.

"You didn't eat did you?" Claude inquired, his grin dropped. "I think you should eat it, it's your food" Miriam shook her head as she handed him the bread, which he stubbornly declined.

"I'm fine with you being overly the top nice but if it burdens you, don't do it," he sighed. "It's my punishment, don't trouble yourself"

Miriam ripped the bread in two and offered him one half. "Since we both didn't eat, I think this is fair"

"That look in your eyes, I can't win can I?" he chuckled, taking one part of the bread. "Stubborn like always"

"M-me stubborn?" Miriam stammered, pouting. "You were the one acting stubborn"

"Sure, sure," he waved her off. "…Thanks by the way."

Miriam smiled shyly, the fire from the lanterns hung around the camp, which monotonously lit the area, suddenly seemed to be putting her in the spotlight. She looked much like a…

"…goddess"

"H-huh? Did you say something?"

* * *

 **A/N: I have no clue whether it's Shardis or Shadis. I've always used Shadis though. Is it right or no? I'm sure such a minor detail won't really matter anyway… I tried my best to keep all the characters in character so I hope I didn't stuff up anywhere. For the next chapter I'll try to add in all the characters that either didn't feature in this chapter or were hardly mentioned. Thanks for reading!**

 **Hope I'm handling your ocs alright and hope you liked it. If you have any issues or problems, PM me. Feedback is appreciated!**


	4. Humanity's Comeback (2)

Winston | Davis | Maya | Nicholas

* * *

" _Perfectly defective"_

* * *

"It's aptitude test time so listen up, there is no place for you here if you cannot perform. Fail and be shipped to the fields," Keith hollered as trainees were attached to the metal contraptions. They were expected to maintain balance to pass the test. If they failed to do so, like Keith said, they would be shipped to the fields.

Winston was among the first ones to be tested. The instructor helped him into the gear. Despite the butterflies in his stomach and the nauseating unease, he was ready. He was going to succeed.…

 _For lyric_.

The instructor began to work the machine, Winston felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. _I can do it, I can do it,_ he recited internally as he was raised.

Once he was fully reeled up he was still and balanced. His chest blossomed with relief and pride as he looked at the glances of affirmation from the instructors. Then it all went haywire. From perfectly balanced to hanging upside down - he wondered how it had come to this. The trainees in line snickered and started talking smack about him.

"I can't wait to see his face when they ship him to the fields," an onlooker chuckled.

"Yeah, an aristocrat pulling weeds and doing peasant work - _hilarious_ ," another onlooker giggled.

Winston struggled to maintain his calm facade, the feeling of mortification and shame dawning down on him.

"Can I get down?" He asked as monotonously as he could.

"O-oh yeah sure," the instructor said as he helped him down. The trainees called him names when he passed by, and told him to "have fun in the fields".

The idea of not fulfilling Lyric's duty beyond the wall made his stomach churn. He sat somewhere secluded and curled up against a tree in thought. What sort of soldier was he? _Certainly not one who succeeds_.

"Hey William was it?" A voice asked, it's owner peered around the tree to look at him. "I could, uh, help you with passing the test"

"W-Who are you?" Winston yelped, jumping back.

"Sorry, how rude of me," the stranger apologized. "I'm Davis Kneebham. I saw you struggling today so I was wondering if you'd like some help"

"It's Winston," Winston corrected. "Anyway, you'd really help me?"

"Of course," Davis smiled.

"Yeah you sucked today," another voice quipped as another head appeared on the other side of the tree. "Maya Ackerman" she introduced with a smirk. "Lemme help you out as well"

"R-really?" Winston sputtered, generally surprised about all of the support he'd gotten just after getting put down.

"Sure, you looked pretty down as well," Davis confirmed.

"I swear on thieves honor," Maya winked.

* * *

"Remember, loose stance," Maya repeated, leaning against one of the metal poles of the contraption. Davis started reeling Winston up, giving a thumbs up as he ascended.

"Just let loose and chillax," Maya instructed. Winston nodded. The machine clicked indicating that it was ready for use. A silence enveloped the area and all stared intently at Winston. His eyes were filled with determination as he struggled to balance himself.

"What are you kids doing?" A voice inquired.

"Pract—," Davis replied though stopped due to Winston's small form colliding against the ground. He winced at the sound of the impact.

"Like he was saying, we're helping Winston over here," Maya informed, clearly unbothered by Winston's injury. "What are you doing here …sir?"

"Nicholas Dracht, temporary instructor," he introduced.

"Okay, what are you doing here Dracht sir?" Maya asked again.

"I was just on a stroll I guess," Nicholas replied. He walked over to Winston and helped him out of the machine. Then he grabbed a medical pack that was hidden in his uniform and begun patching up the wound on Winston's forehead.

"What's that?" Winston asked, looking at the injury on the instructor's knee.

"It's the reason I'm a instructor right now," he replied with a chuckled. A few moments passed in silence before Nicholas spoke up;

"That's odd…," he furrowed his brows. "Never in my short career have I seen someone hang upside down on one of these machines"

"Maybe it's because I'm not cut out to being a soldier," Winston murmured, gingerly placing his fingers on the wound. When he met Nicholas's gaze he almost yelped in fear.

"I swear if you continue to talk like that I'll send you to the fields, not for failing this test but for giving up," Nicholas said almost threateningly.

Winston shrunk back, muttering a protest, "but I can't do it"

"Get back on, let's see what you're doing wrong," Nicholas instructed sternly. He gestured Winston over to the machine.

"What about his injury sir?" Davis asked, still station by the side of the machine.

"He has to pass this test to continue as a trainee and his last chance to pass is tomorrow," Nicholas said. "He could recover and fail tomorrow or practice, despite his injury, and succeed tomorrow" He turned to Davis and looked at him solemnly. "Soldiers continue to fight until they no longer can, Winston here can still function"

Winston hesitantly made his way to the machine and strapped himself on. He looked to Davis with unease as he was reluctantly lifted from the ground. Nicholas watched intently, determined to exploit the reason for Winston's failures. After a few moments of balancing, Winston - or rather the equipment - gave out. Nicholas quickly stopped caught him, preventing him from hitting the ground again and spoke up.

"Davis come over here and switch gear with Winston…," he ordered, unstrapping Winston's gear.

"O-okay sir," Davis complied, unstrapping himself from his gear and handing it over to Nicholas.

"Let's try again then," Winston nodded. Once again he was raised and once again he balanced - only this time he didn't flip over. "I'm doing it," Winston said in disbelief. He balanced with ease.

"Dysfunctional gear," Nicholas informed, showing the fault in the equipment.

"We did it yay!" Maya exclaimed suddenly, jumping. "Hi Five guys" She ran up to Winston and Davis and raised her hands in the air. Nicholas smiled from the sidelines as the trio celebrated their success.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter feels kinda boring since I had no idea what to write. I had no idea what those contraptions are called so I stuck to machines. This chapter though is just for character introductions, the next one will be more entertaining. Also I was wondering two things: should I add romance in this story or not and should I make a forum for oc owners for role play? It'll help me get a better idea about oc's personalities and relationships with one another. Anyway thanks for reading!**

 **Hope I'm handling your ocs alright and hope you liked it. If you have any issues or problems, PM me. Feedback is appreciated!**


	5. OVA

OVA

* * *

" _Distress"_

* * *

"Your mission for today is to split into two detachments and retrieve an object in the forest west of the training camp. For this task you'll be covering a distance of roughly 80 km," Nicholas explained. He pointed at the blackboard by his side which had a simple diagram of the mission details.

"One group will go along this path on the mountainous route," his finger trailed along one path of the diagram, "while the other group will go down the other" He pointed to the forest which was located to the left of the diagram. "This is your rendezvous point. Here you'll exchange information before returning back to camp via the route the other group took. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The cadets answered.

"The point of this exercise is to see how alert you can be at peaceful times. Your groups and detachments are on the sheets I handed to you," Nicholas concluded.

 **Group 1**

 **Detachment 1**

Ichirou Kita

Miriam Smith

Maya Ackerman

Claude Rousseau

Winston Godfrey Pembroke

Davis Kneebham

Adrian Brant

Asher Merrick O'Shea

 **Group 1**

 **Detachment 2**

Mina Carolina

Thomas Wagner

Shiro Ackerman

Hannah Diamant

Franz Kefka

Mac Tius

Samuel Linke-Jackson

Yvette Stephens

* * *

Mounted on horses, group 1 led by Davis Kneebham, raced along the mustard colored sand towards the forest due west of the trainee camp. The sun radiated unpleasant waves of heat on the sweat stricken cadets making the trip even more uncomfortable.

"This is so boring," Maya groaned, dropping her arms to her sides. She wiped the beads of sweat forming on her forehead and sighed.

"Yep," Claude concurred, propping his elbow on the top of his horse's head. The horse shook its head slightly in discomfort. "This exercise isn't supervised by an instructor so I doubt it'll matter much in terms of grades"

"Even if there isn't an instructor to praise you, you should still try," Davis chided. Ichirou sent Claude and Davis a puzzled expression.

"Should I document this conversation?" He inquired, looking to his board unsure.

"No, cause that'll score me negative points and I don't want that," Claude sighed, laying his head on his horse's neck. The horse looked even more uncomfortable. "Why would such a trivial event need to be documented anyway?"

"Good point," Ichirou chuckled, nervously scribbling out his sentence. He then turned to Davis. "What should I write down then?"

"Anything that either hinders or could possibly influence the mission," Davis replied with a shrug. "Trivial things like conversations I don't think needs to be noted - unless it's us talking for too long or something like that"

Ichirou nodded, thanking him quietly. The group returned to silence.

"Your horse looks uncomfortable," Winston informed, looking to the horse worriedly. "Maybe you should stop using it as an armrest and a pillow" Claude poked his tongue. "Don't tell me what to do royalty," he scoffed.

"Ooh sassy comeback," Asher snickered.

"Royalty? Is that supposed to be an insult?" Winston inquired, looking at Claude cautiously. Claude shrugged and replied, "if you want it to be"

"Hey guys, we should stop now before you two break into an argument," Asher interjected. "As much as it'd be fun to see a fight, it's still wrong and shouldn't be-"

"Ey bubbles, interrupting conversations is considered rude," Claude himself interrupted. He yawned as he ushered his horse faster to surpass the group. His hazel orbs skimmed across the desert sand. They lit upon spotting a scurrying creature in the distance.

"Hey look a lizard," he mused. There was the faint yell of the word 'hypocrite' from behind though he chose to ignore it. Maya seemed to have seen it too, and being just as bored as he was, looked at it with interest.

"Hey," she called over to Claude. "I heard lizards taste quite exquisite" Her lips twitched into a playful smirk. "First one to get that thing wins" The moment she finished her sentence, the two quickly dashed after the creature, distancing themselves from the group.

"H-hey guys don't go off!" Miriam shouted. Davis pursued them, withdrawing his blade as he caught up to the two. When he had somehow managed to catch up to them, he caught Claude's blade which were inches away from the lizard. The reptile looked Claude in the eye almost mockingly before running away. He glared at Davis.

"What the hell? I had it!" He exclaimed, sheathing his blade - which for a second he considered using it to hit the other.

"Don't run off without the group," Davis scolded. "We have no time for your competitive nonsense" He looked to Ichirou before requesting, "don't write this down" Ichirou nodded.

"No, you can write this down," Claude spoke up. "Just say that 'Claude was obstructed by _beanpole_ while trying to hunt for food'"

" _Beanpole?_ " Davis muttered to himself, offended.

"If I wrote that then I'd also have to write that you were disobeying orders," Ichirou said, frowning.

"Tsk, let's forget all this and just keep going," Adrian interrupted. She smiled darkly. "Unless you want your deaths to be written down as 'missing'" The group felt a cold shiver run down their spine.

"Yeah let's go, we don't want to be late," Asher spoke up, clearly unaffected by Adrian's threat. "We need to get there by sunset, otherwise all of this has to be documented" Everyone nodded before they set off again. They rode in silence until their horses were tired and the was sun nearing the horizon.

"We should let the horses rest here a bit," Davis suggested, steering his horse to the mouth of a nearby cave. The group followed his lead and took refuge in the shade.

* * *

Elsewhere, a bird abruptly sprung from it's branch into the air. Shiro's eyes narrowed as he watched it cautiously with a hand resting on his blade. He sensed danger.

"Is there something wrong?" Yvette asked, tilting her head. The bespectacled girl sent him a puzzled expression.

After confirming that there was no threat, Shiro shook his head and dropped his arm from his blade. "I'm just being paranoid," he dismissed. "Anyway, I think we've had enough of a break"

"Yeah, we should go," Yvette agreed. She turned to the rest of their group and hollered; "Guys we should go, we gots to get there by sunset unless you wanna ride in the dark"

The group nodded in agreement as they hopped back on their horses. They chatted mindlessly as Shiro led them forward. He chose to remain silent, staring off ahead.

"Let's have a race since we're almost there!" Mina chirped. "Last one there has to exchange details with the other group!"

"You're on," Thomas said with a grin. He raced off ahead with Mina. The rest of the group followed, joining in the race. Shiro sighed as he watched them squabble in the distant. He noticed that Yvette was still by his side.

"Why aren't you joining them?" he inquired. He turned to Yvette who seemed to be lost in thought. Once realizing he was talking to her, she looked at him once again, confused. "Join in for what sorry?"

"Nevermind, I get why," he muttered to himself. Yvette was confused with his response though quickly shrugged it off and returned to her stupor.

Once they made it to the forest they dispersed to set up camp and search for the other group. Their ODM gear was left by a tree next to the camp as they did their allocated jobs. When they returned they were greeted with an unexpected sight.

"The ODM gear is gone," Samuel stated impassively.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Hannah said sarcastically.

"Hey guys, there's a campfire," Yvette informed, picking up the remnants of the burnt wood.

"I saw a few back while coming here," Shiro said, looking back. "It tells us their numbers"

"Saw a few what?" Yvette asked, tilting her head. Her glasses slowly slide off and shattered on the floor when she redirected her gaze. She jumped back in surprise.

"Campfires," Shiro answered, watching her pick up the pieces. She hissed after cutting herself.

"My glasses," she squeaked. Then she paused after noticing footprints and wagon tracks trailing across the dirt.

"Wagon tracks and footprints," she whispered, pointing to the tracks. "I've heard of bandits stealing military equipment and selling them illegally"

"That's scary!" Mina gasped.

"We should consider ourselves lucky that we weren't attacked," Shiro said, looking intently at the tracks. "We should meet up with Davis's group and inform them" He then looked to the sky, a breeze picked up his ivory locks and blew it to his side.

 _I hope Ichirou's okay_

* * *

"These rations are so bland," Asher complained, playing with her share of food. She looked across the campfire to the others in disgust at how they could eat such terrible things casually.

"Well dinner would be much better if it weren't for _someone_ ," Claude said, sending an accusatory glare to Davis.

"Are you still on about that?" Davis questioned, raising a brow unimpressed.

"Lizards are stupid anyway," Claude muttered.

"You're the one who chased it," Winston informed.

"Shut it royalty," he snapped, sending him a glare. "I chased it because of that stupid competition"

"Well if my challenge was so stupid, I guess I won't be sharing," Maya shrugged as she fumbled in a satchel that no one noticed she had. She brought out a loaf of bread and some meat.

"Those rations are for peasants, I'm having the good stuff," she grinned. She split her goods into three pieces, handing one to Winston, one to Davis and keeping one for herself.

"For the non-peasants," she said mockingly, poking her tongue at Claude.

"An aristocrat being a soldier is stupid," he said suddenly, glowering at her. "Why are you even friends with someone who's just using you?"

"Claude you're getting kind of salty…," Miriam warned though was ignored.

"I don't _use_ people, stop generalizing," Winston chided.

"Why are you even in the military?" Claude inquired, raising a brow.

"Well it's a more honorable reason than joining the military police to run away from the titans," Winston retaliated.

"Oh, so what makes your reason more honorable than mine?" Claude asked with disinterest. Ichirou quickly grabbed his wooden board to start scribbling down the argument. Davis stopped him, telling him that it was just a 'light dinner conversation'.

"Please stop fighting guys," Miriam tried to interrupt. She noticed a sudden ruffling in the bush while the others were arguing. She turned to it concerned.

"I'm going to help humanity move forward and…," Winston trailed off.

"It's one of those stupid reasons again," Claude sighed. "It's all 'I'm helping humanity, I'll help make a difference!' Well guess what? You're just going to die like the last thousands of people"

"G-guys I think there," Miriam stopped herself, sighing. "Never mind…"

* * *

The argument gradually died down once everyone got tired and went to sleep. Miriam however, couldn't, so she decided to take her horse to the lakeside to have some water.

"You've been running all day, I'm sure you're tired," she said to the horse as it drank from the lake. She let out a quiet sigh as she looked at her reflection.

"…How do you manage to argue with everyone?" she frowned as she placed a finger gently in the water. Her touch rippled the water, distorting her reflection and that of the moon and stars.

"It's been happening ever since we were kids," she continued, chuckling quietly. The memory of their shared childhood came to mind. The memories after her isolation and before _that_ happened. A sudden sound snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly turned to the source of the noise. There was nothing there. She got to her feet to look around.

"H-hello-," she stopped herself once she heard the click of a gun.

* * *

The sudden cry of horses filled the area. Ichirou awoke groggily to the sound. It took him a while to register that the horses had fled the area and that something dangerous had appeared. He quickly sat up to warn everyone though fell silent when he noticed the end of a gun at his head. He slowly turned to the possessor of the gun and gulped. The attacker wore a bag with eye holes as a mask and he was not alone.

"Hand over your equipment," the man demanded.

"Pfft like hell I will," Claude yelled, tackling one of the men to the ground. All the men pointed their guns at him and loaded them in surprise. While distracted, Maya and Davis attacked and disarmed their attackers. A bullet suddenly shot past, skimming across Claude's cheek. Everyone froze.

"Give the gear or the girl dies," a new voice said, as two new figure entered their campsite. There was another man with a mask who had a certain raven haired in his grasp.

"M-Miriam?" Claude exclaimed. The group let out a collective gasp upon seeing their comrade as a hostage. The bandit leader made a triumphant sound at their response. Claude sighed in defeat as he grabbed his gear and handed it over to the man. The rest of the group followed suit, sending the man disapproving glares.

"Just in case you come after us, we'll be taking her," the man said, dragging Miriam with him to his wagon. The rest of his men followed, snickering at them as they passed. A few moments after the bandits departure, Claude followed their tracks.

"Claude, let's take a moment to think before charging into action," Davis spoke up.

"She's my friend do I really have to make any hard decisions?" Claude asked, barely glancing at him.

"Well you can't get her back without a plan," Davis said tersely.

"What?"

"What sort of person would I be if I just abandoned her?" Davis shrugged. "What sort of _people_ would we be if we left a comrade?" The rest of the group stepped up from behind him with the same type of determination as Claude in their eyes.

"I've got a plan though I'm not sure how we're going to execute it since those bandits are faster than us," Winston said, collecting the attention of the group.

"The bandits are on their way to Odel, correct?" The group nodded. "Well if I remember correctly, there are two paths to Odel. If we manage to make it in front of the bandits and block the left path then it's certain that the bandits will go to the right path. We just need to find a way to be ahead of them to ambush them."

"We could cut through the forest," Asher suggested.

"How would we know which wagon our gear and Miriam is?" Ichirou asked as he recorded the events that had taken place.

"Simple, we listen out for it," Adrian spoke up.

"We'll have two people stationed at the side of the path submerged in leaves. They will listen out for the gear and send a signal through the system I'll create there. 1 ring means the gear is in the first wagon, 2 rings for the second wagon and so on," Winston explained.

"Let's get going if we want this plan to go in motion," Davis said, leading the group to the forest.

* * *

Davis's group cut through the forest and successfully passed the bandits to the fork in the road to Odel. Adrian and Asher worked together to block the right path, forcing the bandits to take the left road. Winston had set up a network of string which connected to two cups which would serve as a signal. He and Davis were stationed at the side of the road and were tasked to listen out for their gear. Maya, Ichirou and Claude were on top of a tree, ready to ambush on the signal. When the wagons arrived, Davis and Winston listened out for the gear, locating it in the second wagon. Winston rung the signal twice and Maya, Ichirou and Claude jumped through the roof of the wagon. Maya and Ichirou took out the two bandits occupying the wagon while Claude grabbed some gear.

"I'll go help Miriam," Claude said, putting on the gear. The other two nodded. He blasted out of the carriage, hooking to the trees to proceed forward. The bandit in the front carriage attempted to shake Maya and Ichirou, who are still in the other wagon, off his trail by shooting at them. He managed to hit the reins off the horse leading the other wagon, disconnecting it from the horse and sending it tumbling back. Maya got up unscathed and looked around to check on Ichirou.

"Are you okay?" she asked, grabbing some gear.

"Mentally yes but I think I messed up my ankle," Ichirou responded, clutching his ankle.

"Maya you go on ahead, Adrian and I will help him," Asher called, running towards them with Adrian, Winston and Davis not far behind.

"'kay," Maya replied, gearing up.

As Maya left, Winston turned to Ichirou. "Do you have a flare?"

"Yeah, I do," Ichirou said, handing over his flare. Winston thanked him before shooting it off into the air.

Maya caught up to Claude and joined his pursuit. They dodged the incoming bullets from the bandit standing guard of Miriam. The two sped up towards the wagon. They suddenly disappeared from the bandit's sight and reappeared at the front of the carriage where the bandit leader was. The leader jumped back as they cut the reins. The sudden loss of the horse sent the wagon crashing into a tree, disposing it of its occupants.

"Shit. This ain't funny, I can believe I'm doing this. I survived the Titan invasion but I can't grow shit in this wasteland," the bandit leader muttered. "And to think, I always told my daughter to not be a burden to others..." He had Miriam in his clutches and a knife threatening close to her neck. Miriam listened to his monologue and couldn't help but feel bad for him.

He looked up to tell Claude and Maya to give up though stopped himself when a flash of ginger and ivory entered the scene in a flash. Shiro and Yvette had appeared from the sides with their swords at the bandits necks. Shiro was about to slice the leader's head clean off though stopped upon Miriam's request.

"Stop!"

They were reluctant though, Yvette and Shiro lowered their blades, causing the two bandit men to fall to their knees from the shock of their sudden appearance.

"Damn, you're not hurt are you?" Claude said hurriedly, running to Miriam. He kicked the bandit leader in the head before making it to her side.

"I'm fine," she said shakily. "Sorry for burdening you guys"

"The military police are coming, for now we have to keep watch these perpetrators," Shiro said, looking at the collapsed bandits warily. "Where's Ichirou?"

"He hurt his ankle so the others are taking care of him," Maya replied with a shrug. "He should be fine though, just a minor injury" Shiro let out a relieved sigh.

"I wonder if this was part of the exercise," he mused.

"Yeah"

* * *

Omake/Extra

"Royalty," Claude called. Winston turned back to look at him.

"What?"

"Don't make me say this again but…," Claude looked away embarrassed, his cheeks lightly flushed. "ThankyouforhelpingmesavemyfriendandI'msorryaboutbefore"

Winston, who somehow understood him, smiled. "You're welcome"

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter would've come out earlier though it didn't since I was sick and this was hell of a long chapter. The ending and Omake was a little rushed, sorry about that. I'm going on a hiatus from the 25th September to the 9th October since I won't be able to access my computer. I'll be writing the next chapters though I won't be able to post them but if you have any suggestions or ideas feel free to tell me, I might add it in the story. One of the characters in this story is mine. Can you guess who? :D I hope I didn't have too many errors in this and that all characters are in character. Thank you for all the nice comments for the last few chapters by the way, they made my day.**


	6. Humanity's Comeback (3)

Year 850…

* * *

" _The night of the closing ceremony"_

* * *

Graduation was a month away though unfortunately, the high marking assessments were wedged between then and graduation. The majority of their grade relied on their performance in those assessments. Everything within the month was being graded and Keith was sure that the cadets would find that as a drag though that didn't matter. War was a drag, they had to accept that.

He rode his horse alongside the panting cadets; it was another training drill. They made their way through the forest, the muddy terrain caused by the downpour and heavy baggage proved as a tricky obstacle for the trainees.

"Keep going you filthy maggots!" Keith barked, assessing the cadets.

His eyes fell on a ginger haired straggler. "Pick up the pace Stephens or at least drop your baggage," he yelled, "at least the Titans would have an easier time digesting you if you do"

Yvette looked up at him, disheartened, as she struggled to keep herself upright. Asher, who didn't seem to be affected by the terrain, slowed down to match Yvette's pace. She then took Yvette's baggage of her shoulders.

 _"Asher Merrick O'Shea, quick on her feet and can fluently weave through almost any terrain,"_ Keith thought to himself, noticing the gracefulness in Asher's footing.

"Just try to keep yourself upright okay?" Asher said to Yvette with a smile. "We're being graded on this so try to make the cut"

"Won't they demerit you for helping me though?" Yvette inquired, retying her dull orange locks into a bun.

"Not if no one notices," Asher replied with a wink. Yvette shook her head and grabbed her baggage back.

"Don't worry, I can do this myself," she smiled wearily, sending a thankful glance to Asher before running off ahead.

 _"Yvette Stephens, incredibly clumsy and daft but her undying will and resilience may as well make up for her flaws,"_ Keith noted, recalling his previous years of watching her.

* * *

The following day the cadets were tasked with their abilities with the maneuvering gear. Titan dummies were set around the forest and instructors were scattered around to evaluate cadet's strengths and weaknesses.

Keith stood on the branch of a tree, clipboard in hand. He watched as Miriam and Claude approach the dummy a few meters away.

Miriam was the first to strike. Going at an extreme speed, her attack barely touched the nape of the dummy's neck before she disappeared deeper into the forest. Keith raised a brow as he wrote Miriam's strength as low.

Following Miriam's attack was Claude. He showed off his skill with the ODM gear by doing a fancy spin as he deepened the cut. An instructor gave him a look of approval which caused him to grin cockily.

 _"Claude Rousseau, top of the the class with the ODM gear though he is an insufferable smartass with the audacity to snark at his superiors"_

After writing about Claude, Keith noticed Miriam attacking another dummy in the distance. She sped past the nape again and hit it with so much force that it shook violently.

He scribbled out what he had previously wrote about Miriam and rewrote his evaluation of the ivory haired cadet.

 _"Miriam Smith, inaccurate though her attacks are quick and lethal with the capability of ripping a titan's head clean off"_

Keith moved deeper into the forest where more unscathed dummies were. There he spotted Winston, moving at dizzying speeds towards a dummy. Just like Miriam, he demolished the nape of the dummy though with less power.

 _"Winston Godfrey Pembroke, built like a daffodil though is a tactical genius and can move at dizzying speeds"_

After Winston's departure, Davis entered Keith's neck of the woods and hooked onto a nearby dummy. He poised himself for the attack though had to stop abruptly at the entrance of another cadet who stole his kill. He quickly kicked off the nape of the dummy and did a flip, landing on the ground.

"Don't do that! I could've killed you," he exclaimed. The other cadet possessed short, dirty blonde hair styled in an undercut. Turning around, they revealed themselves to be Adrian. She scorned at him.

 _"Adrian Brant, intelligent and skilled, her personality though, is her downfall in team battles"_

"Well you didn't, so I don't see the problem," she said before taking off. Davis sighed as he took off as well.

 _"Davis Kneebham, excellent leader with solid technique"_

In the distance, Nicholas noticed Maya, Shiro and Ichirou. Maya arrived at the dummy first. She landed sideways on a tree and used her position to propel herself. She then hooked onto the tree past the Titan and reeled herself in, slicing a nice chunk off the neck.

Shiro appeared next. He passed the Titan Maya attacked and cleanly cut the next Titan. He then left to find more without a second glance.

 _"Maya and Shiro Ackerman, cool-headed, quick and deadly accurate. These two are model cadets who excel at everything"_

Ichirou came seconds after Maya and Shiro's attack, slicing the necks of the two already marked Titans. He gritted his teeth, frustrated at the fact that they beat him to the targets.

 _"And Ichirou Kita, excellent on the field and driven by a terrifying sense of purpose"_

* * *

"D'ya remember me?" Yvette inquired, eyes lit with familiarity. "I was the scribe of your group in that one mission! Remember? Remember?"

"Yvette was it?" Shiro asked, flipping the wooden knife in the air. He caught it and went into a fighting stance. Yvette positioned herself in a defensive stance, her arms poised for a block and propped above shoulder level.

Hand-to-hand combat was up next though it wasn't being graded. Due to this fact, many cadets didn't bother and instead faked fighting with each another.

"You do remember!" Yvette said excitedly as Shiro ran at her to attack.

Shiro struck down with the knife, aiming for the top of her head. Yvette wedged her arm in between the blade and Shiro's elbow to block. She pushed his arm back and kicked his leg. Shiro didn't flinch. He used Yvette's unstable position to push her to the ground. Then he pointed the knife at her neck.

"Wow that went fast," she groaned. "I can get you next time I swear"

"Your counterattack was quite good actually," Shiro commented, straightening himself up. "Just put more power and speed in it and I'm sure you can knock pretty much any opponent to the ground"

"I'll take your criticism to heart!" Yvette said as she jumped back onto her feet. She then walked up to Shiro and took the wooden knife.

"My turn to play attacker," she smiled.

* * *

The several assessments the cadets had to undergo came to an end and they finally could get something close to a break.

"…that's how you conserve fuel, let the momentum do it for you," Claude explained, half of his speech consumed in the chatter of others. The cadets were crowded in the mess hall, having dinner. Claude used this time to show off his knowledge and receive some praise.

"Wow, dude, that's pretty advanced," one of his listeners spoke up.

"The MPs only recruit the best of the best," Claude smirked as he pointed his thumb to himself. The others at his table gawked at him with admiration.

"Working by the king's side would be such an honor," Miriam mused, next to him.

"Psh, like hell you're wanting to join for that reason," Claude snickered, nudging her with his elbow. "You're just joining to have a comfy, safe spot in the interior aren't you?"

"N-no! That's not why," Miriam denied. "I wouldn't join for such a selfish reason"

Claude opened his mouth to retort though was interrupted.

"You know this place was once considered the interior?" Ichirou interjected almost menacingly.

"Eavesdropping is rude. You got a point friend?" Claude asked, turning to Ichirou with a look of disinterest.

A nearby cadet snorted. Claude turned to the person with curiosity. It was a slightly tanned male with an orange flattop. He leaned on his arm with a smile half suppressed in his hand. Claude recognized the male as Iceco.

"I'm sure your head wouldn't fit in the interior," Iceco commented. Several of cadets stifled laughter. Claude frowned at the negative attention.

"Are you looking for a fight?" He asked, putting up a calm facade.

"Sure I'd fight though it wouldn't be fun fighting against someone who can hardly put up a fight," Iceco responded with a shrug.

"And where'd you get the idea that I'm not someone worth fighting?" Claude asked, his facade slipping away.

"I saw you the other day at hand to hand combat and you were tragic," he replied.

"Hand to hand combat doesn't go towards our grades so why bother trying?" Claude remarked.

"Are you sure your not using that as an excuse to hide the fact that you're weak?" Iceco's smile morphed into a smirk.

"That's it, I'm gonna kick your ass," Claude announced, slamming his hand in the table as he stood up. Iceco stood as well, with a carefree look o his features.

"I'm curious to see how strong you are," Iceco said, tilting his head to the side irritatingly.

The door suddenly creaked opened and everyone froze. Keith poked his head in, his sunken eyes and grim features along with the dark lighting made him look frightening.

"What is all the ruckus I hear?" He asked, his voice terrifyingly low.

Iceco and Claude quickly sat back down as Shiro raised his hand to speak up. "Yvette dropped her dinner again," he calmly lied. Yvette squeaked out in alarm.

"Why am I not surprised," Keith sighed as he left. The cadets let out a collective sigh of relief. Yvette turned to Shiro, looking to him as if she was betrayed.

"I thought we were friends!" She cried. "Why you do this to me?"

* * *

It had been three grueling years of training but they finally made it. The day had finally come when the cadets graduated. The majority hoped to join the military police so they could be safe from the Titans. Sadly, only the selected ten had the opportunity to.

"Do you have heart?" The lead instructor hollered.

"Yes sir!" The cadets saluted.

"As for this moment you have three options opened for you, choose wisely," he explained. "You have the garrison regiment whose job is to reinforce the wall. The scout regiment who ride into Titan territory to reclaim land that was once ours. And the MP regiment, maintaining law and order under the direct command from his royal majesty. Those cadets who are eligible for the MPs have already been named. The rest of you, take a look. These are the top of your class."

Standing in front of the remaining 218 cadets, were Yvette, Asher, Maya, Davis, Claude, Miriam, Ichirou, Adrian, Winston, and Shiro.

The top ten.

* * *

Later that day there were celebrations in the mess hall. Cheers and chatter bustled in the room as cadets shifted around. Ichirou had collected a small crowd near the entrance of the hall from his declaration of joining the scouts.

"You're really turning your back on the MPs for the scouts?" Thomas asked with a look of skepticism.

"You're in the top ten, why in the world would you do that?" Samuel said, raising a brow.

"I joined because I wanted to join the scouts, not sit back and watch the Titans take over humanity," Ichirou replied. "I've put too much work in to live the easy life"

"Are you insane?!" Thomas exclaimed, his outburst attracting the attention of everyone in the room. He shrunk back a bit and his voice changed into a whisper, "How many people have died? We're talking about fifth of the population. If that doesn't paint a picture for you I don't know what. This is our life now, we can't beat them."

The mess hall fell silent as everyone was reminded of the cruel world they lived in. Ichirou gritted his teeth, rage seething up inside him.

This cruel life that he lived in, that all of them lived in, he wanted to change it.

"Yeah, so what?" Ichirou broke the silence, his hands clenched by his sides.

Everyone looked to him, somewhat taken aback by his response.

"We're different from 5 years ago, we know more about them. Every battle lost has taught us more. Those battles have given us the tiniest thing like hope! And you're telling me to turn back and join the MPs and let all the death and destruction be meaningless? Humanities future lies outside the walls and I'm going to clear the way! I'm going to drive them out and if there's someone who is still capable of saying so, humanity hasn't lost yet!" He took a breath before he bitterly concluding, "So go ahead and hide. Remain ignorant to the beauty of the world outside these walls. Enjoy your time as caged animals"

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for all the reviews and advice! I tried my best to describe the characters appearances in this chapter. I'm also sorry about making the story really confusing. I tend to forget that I know all the characters while everyone else doesn't. Haha, typical me.**


	7. Ackerman

_Ackerman_

* * *

The celebratory state of the mess hall was gradually coming to an end. Few cadets remained, sauntering around and collecting one last snack before heading to bed. Ichirou left shortly after his dispute with the other cadets. Shiro let him calm down by himself - which was from request - and didn't follow him to the barracks. Instead, he rested on the stairs leading to the square of land they used to train in to think in isolation.

"Hey, Shiro is it?"

He nodded in slight exasperation, before peering at whoever intruded his thoughts from his position. The owner of the voice belonged to Maya Ackerman, one of the skillful few who made it into the top ten.

She took a seat next to him and looked to the training grounds.

"I've seen you on the field, you're quite good. I'm surprised you're not first or second in the class," Shiro commented, recalling the times he saw her in action.

Maya chuckled. "I know I am better than most people in terms of skill but my behaviour isn't fitting of those ranks"

"Behaviour?" Shiro raised a brow.

"I tend to steal things," she smirked. "I usually don't get caught but people rat me out at times"

She paused to let Shiro process that before going on, "I heard the Ackerman family are quite skilled, no wonder we're so badass"

"Is that true? I never knew," Shiro smiled.

"I know this is weird but have you ever felt a sudden purge of power?" Maya asked reluctantly. "I mean it could've just been me but-"

"Yes actually," Shiro interrupted.

Maya looked to him with new found curiosity. "You care to share your story?"

"It's something rather private," Shiro objected, closing his eyes. "I don't really want to talk about it"

"Ahh, sorry for prying then," Maya apologized. "Mine is rather private as well"

They let a comfortable silence settled between them as they looked at the stars.

"Family… It's nice to know I still have some," Maya mumbled, catching the image of stars in her hand.

"I want to protect my family and all the other families out there," Shiro stated suddenly. "I want to vanquish the grief of loss. That's why I'm joining the survey corps like Ichirou… I don't want death to be a common thing"

Maya nodded. "I know what you mean, there's so much death in this world…"

"This world is so cruel, so merciless," Shiro said darkly, the tragedy of Shiganshina running vivid in his mind.

"Yet, a thing like beauty still exists," Maya continued, picking up Shiro's sudden turn of attitude. "Whatever terrible past you had, forget it, because we can't change the past but we can change the future," she paused and smiled, "plus now we both know we still have some sort of family left"

"…That's true"

Graduation was a big day and all the cadets knew that the memory will forever be etched in their hearts but for a certain two, it would be remembered as more special than just graduation. it was much more special than just graduation.

It was a day they met family.

* * *

 **A/N: Touchy short where I might've been a little ooc (sorrynotsorry). The next chapter will be similar** **since I feel like i** **t. After that though, Struggle for Trost arc is coming up yay. I have the whole thing planned out and am excited to write it. Also, here's a heads up: my school break is over so I won't update as frequent as before D;.**


	8. Pride and Joy

**A/N: Um, hi. I'm back from a 2-3 months long, unannounced hiatus. First off, let me apologise for being inactive for so long! I seemed to have lost motivation due to school and the relief of the holidays. I'm back now and hopefully I'll continue and don't disappear again! I tend to neglect my duties :/ and procrastinate a lot.**

 **Anywho, after this chapter I'm starting the struggle for Trost arc (I'm posting the first chapter for the arc somewhere today). I hope this didn't lose too much interest!**

* * *

Pride and Joy

* * *

Yvette and Davis were among the few left remaining in the mess hall. Most had left due to their duties being early the following day or they were just tired. Maya had left to talk to Shiro and Winston left for the barracks, leaving Davis alone. Well, he wasn't entirely alone; Yvette sat across him, writing furiously on paper she got from who knows where.

She usually hung around two other cadets, a blonde female, Marie Lueur, and a raven haired male, Stephen Wonder, though she was alone for the majority of the time. So it was quite odd seeing her sitting at his table.

Davis curiously peered over the food to the paper she was scribbling on. "Who're you writing to?"

"My family!" she chirped excitedly. "They'll let me visit them again since I did such a great achievement"

"Let you visit again?" Davis asked, perplexed.

"Yep." she nodded. "My ancestors and family were all warriors and everyone had high hopes for me when I was born. They were disappointed when they discovered I wasn't the least bit talented. Cause of this I never had any friends at school and my parents weren't really there for me since I was nothing but a failure. That doesn't bother me now since I can brag all I want about making it to the top ten and exceeding their expectations!"

"I also come from a bloodline of soldiers and I understand the stress of meeting expectations but what happened to you is just wrong," Davis said, frowning.

"The past is the past." She waved her hand to dismiss any pity. "I'm just glad I'm able to go visit home again"

Yvette's previous exuberance dimmed as a sad smile appeared on her lips. "I can visit my friend again"

"I thought you said you didn't have any friends," Davis looked at her with even more puzzlement.

"Her grave," Yvette said, her upbeat tone long gone. She stopped writing, hand now resting on the page. Her eyes shone and appeared glossy from under her glasses which she tried to hide under her bangs.

"I-I'm sorry for bringing out a sore subject," Davis quickly apologised, rising from his seat in preparation to comfort her. He sat back down as Yvette spoke.

"Most of the time my ideals clashed with those of my village…," she trailed off, her eyes downcast. "I honestly didn't want to be here"

"Well you shouldn't listen to what they say, make your own choices, do your own thing. This is your life, not theirs!" Davis said, looking to her seriously.

"I wish I could… I wish I could," Yvette sighed.

She smiled in thanks to him before murmuring quietly, "Thank you"


	9. Struggle for Trost (1)

"First battle"

* * *

Assigned to the Trost district, Samuel, Ichirou, Miriam, Thomas, Mina, Maya, Luna and Herbert were readying and cleaning the cannons. Ever since the breach in wall Maria, humanity has taken more caution on the outer cities and were ready for another Titan attack.

"The speech you said the other day was so cool!" A voice spoke with awe.

Ichirou peered over the cannon he was cleaning and met a pair of large, green eyes. He jumped back, startled. The male from the other side walked over and sheepishly apologised.

He had choppy, brown locks which just touched the nape of his neck and wore a pair of goggles which were currently propped atop his head.

It took Ichirou a few moments of awkwardly staring at him before a name came to mind. Herbert Zoë, the 104th trainee corp's brightest mind. Despite his intelligence, he was mostly known for his similar eccentricity as his sister, Hangi Zoë.

"You were like a novel protagonist or something!" Herbert gushed, clenching his fists as his eyes sparkled.

"Y-yeah, your speech was inspiring," Miriam concurred, sending him a small smile. "I'm reconsidering the survey corps because of it"

"Serving the king was your whole thing, what happened to that?" Ichirou sputtered.

"I need to use my abilities to help humankind, not let my skill rot away in the interior," the raven replied. "I am still serving the king by fighting in the front lines aren't I?"

"She's not the only one," Thomas added sheepishly, scratching his cheek.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Maya interjected.

The group watched her in a mix of fear and interest as she unravelled an item she had concealed behind her jacket.

"I helped myself to the pantry, don't tell anyone," she whispered.

What was revealed earned a few horrified gasps.

"What are you thinking Maya?! You'll get in loads of trouble if they find out!" Ichirou exclaimed.

"Chill, they won't find out," Maya chuckled, waving her hand dismissively.

She crouched down by one of the crates and placed the meat in before continuing, "We'll get tons of meat once we reclaim land for livestock"

She looked up to them again and smirked. "So, who wants some now?"

"C-Can I have some?" Samuel spoke up suddenly, his face screaming regret.

"If he gets some, do you mind if I have some too?" Thomas joined in, smiling nervously.

"M-me too please," A brunette spoke up from behind Herbert. Ichirou hadn't noticed her before but recognised her as Luna Boyle, a girl who he had seen around Herbert a few times before.

"So I'll swing by to get four slices of bread to go along with this then," Maya said, closing the lid. She then stood up. "We should get to work before anyone finds out we were slacking off"

The others nodded in agreement before parting off to their jobs. Ichirou remained standing, still a little perplexed but a new feeling of, what seemed like, excitement blossomed inside of him… _though, had he really convinced all these people to join the survey corps with one measly speech?_

"Better stop slacking off and get back to work," Maya playfully chided, giving him a playful slap to the back. "Unless you want to be in trouble"

"U-uh, yes," Ichirou stammered, snapping out of his trance.

Before resuming his job however, he looked down at the Trost district with pride. Cannons surrounded the gate and the garrison members were alert and ready...

Humanity was ready…

.

.

.

Until it all went crumbling down.

The sound of thunder exploded behind him, smoke obscured his vision and the ground beneath his feet shook. Everyone frantically looked to the source of the sudden occurrence. A familiar face emerged from the smoke, it's eyes mockingly staring down at them.

An event too familiar.

.

.

.

It was the colossus Titan.

Steam erupted from it's body, sending the cadets flying off the wall.

"Holy crap, that is so cool!" Herbert exclaimed, his green orbs lit with excitement.

Ichirou checked around to make sure everyone was safe from the blast. Everyone seemed to be fine except for…

"Samuel!" Thomas called in horror as he watched their comrade fall to his death.

"Don't worry! I've got him," Maya assured, shooting one hook into his leg. "I'll go take care of him"

After Maya's quick departure, the steam cleared, revealing the colossus Titan once again. Being so close, the cadets could easily see every grotesque feature of the meaty Titan.

The wall shook once again.

"It's kicking the wall!" Luna squeaked.

Rubble flew in all directions, crushing homes and lives. Ichirou felt his anger boil as dejavu hit him hard. It was the same Titan, the same goddamn Titan, who broke Wall Maria's gate and killed his family. Though he could only glower because he felt completely and utterly helpless. Just like five years ago.

But then he remembered.

He was a soldier now and unlike last time, they were ready.

"I'm going to kill it!" Ichirou screamed. He blasted up to the colossus, his mind set only on killing it.

"I-It's dangerous, don't go!" Miriam warned, following him up. She stopped midway up when she realised it was pointless.

Ichirou ignored her, climbing across the colossus's arm as it tried to swat him away. It was incredibly _colossal_ but it was also incredibly slow. He continued up it's arm until he reached its elbow where he used it to turn himself around so he was facing the neck. He then reeled himself in, poised ready for the kill.

"Damn you!" He yelled, slashing at the neck.

There was smoke, lots of smoke and then the colossus Titan was gone. The 60 metre monster who killed hundreds, who will kill hundreds more, disappeared. Completely.

"Where'd it go? Where'd it go!?" Herbert said excitedly as he landed on the wall.

"It…it just disappeared… like five years ago," Ichirou said in bafflement, his mind still ingesting what had happened.

Herbert frowned, suddenly serious, as he looked to the distance in thought. "This stirs up speculations…"

* * *

The cadets were called to the supply depot in Trost for an emergency meeting led by the Garrison captain, Kitz Weilman. Ichirou looked through the crowd of cadets who were fresh out of training. Most had fearful expressions, some looked unimpressed and some just looked like they had given up all hope.

Everyone fell to a hushed silence as Kitz explained their duties; "I want each of you to split into four squadrons as practised. All squadrons are responsible for supply, message relay and enemy combat as instructed by the garrison regiment. The inner squadron will be taking the vanguard. Cadets will be taking the middle guard led by the support squad. Rear guard will go to the elites. I expect you all to man your post even knowing that the advance team was wiped out. That's right, the outer gate is history. The Titans are in! The armoured Titan is likely to reappear, if or when it does, the inner gate will be history."

A few gasps escaped the crowd along with frightened whispers.

"Quiet! Those in the vanguard be ready. The mission is a really simple one; defend the wall till the evacuation is done! Now be aware that all of you who deserts this is punishable by execution. If it comes to it, lay down your life. Dismissed."

All the cadets ran in frantic panic, rushing to get organised. Among the fray, Shiro approached Ichirou who was leaning against the wall.

"If there's something you can't handle, find me"

Ichirou looked to him with conflicted feelings. A mix of anger and fear churned inside of him.

"I'll be fine," he said, eyes longing for the other's trust.

Much to his disappointment, Shiro looked to him with scepticism.

"Ackerman, you're with me," a voice intruded their conversation. It was the leader of the elites, Ian Dietrich. "You're on rear guard on special orders"

"But sir, I'm a cadet," Shiro protested. "I'll slow everyone down"

"You're not asked for self evaluation here, the mass exodus is falling apart. We need as much elite soldiers to get things back in track," Ian sighed.

"Yes sir," Shiro murmured, knowing there was no way of convincing the man otherwise.

"I promise you, I'll be fine," Ichirou reassured as Ian left. "I'm in the top ten for a reason"

Shiro nodded, eyeing him steely. "I trust you will come back alive then"

* * *

"I bet I can kill more titans than you," a black haired male challenged. "Scratch that, I know I can kill more titans than you"

"Oh, sure you can Stephen," a girl with wavy blonde hair gushed with sarcasm.

The cocky male, Stephen, smirked at her and winked. "Marie, you'll be digging my skills, trust me"

Marie chuckled. "Whatever"

"Squad 34, the vanguard needs support!" A garrison member called.

"Guys, let's go," Ichirou, the leader of the squad, instructed.

He clenched the handle of his blades, his nerves were getting the best of him. He took a deep breath, _breathe_. He began to wonder how Stephen and Marie were so calm in such a dangerous situation and that they even had the audacity to joke around.

"Is there something wrong?" Marie asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Ichirou shook his head. "Sorry I just spaced out for a second. Let's go."

The squad then departed to the vanguard. As they darted through the various complexes, a titan sprung, catching one of the flying cadets.

"A jumper!" Mina squealed.

Ichirou landed on a building and briskly turned to the titan. The titan, an abnormal jumper type, had Thomas's torso in his mouth. Thomas had the face of pure anguish.

"H...elp me," he barely managed to cry before the titan consumed him whole.

Ichirou's squad was frozen with fear. There friend had died gruesomely. Was this the reality of soldiers?

Ichirou broke out of his trance and sprung up, heading towards the Titan. His sudden actions caused a chain reaction among his squad, making all the others snap out and follow him.

"Damn you!" he screamed as he sent himself flying towards the Titan.

The titan reached out to grab him. Ichirou directed himself to one of the roofs, landing on it for a few fleeting moments before hooking onto the titan's neck.

It happened in a flash, blood flying from the giant's nape and the loud thudding indicating it's fall.

Ichirou was close to tears as he looked down at the fallen giant, panting heavily from the adrenaline.

"Ichirou watch out!" Mina screamed, darting past him.

A large eyed titan was approaching and Mina was determined to distract it.

"No don't!" Ichirou screamed, noticing the appearance of another titan.

Mina didn't hear him, mind too focused on leading the large eyed titan away from her friend and much to Ichirou's dismay, the rest of the group joined her.

Ichirou quickly joined in as well, using their distraction to slice at the large eyed titan's neck though a sudden force caught him mid air. The other titan.

"Guys, they got Ichirou!" Marie informed as Ichirou struggled to cut his way out of the titan's grasp.

Stephen nodded. "Marie you kill this one, I'll help Ichirou"

"Alright"

The titan holding Ichirou had a face which almost resembled irritance. It brought him closer to it's face and tilted it's head as if inspecting him.

Suddenly, the hand holding Ichirou was cut off. Ichirou broke out and used his ODM gear to get onto a building. He heart was beating rapidly and he was trembling. He had to breath, _breath_.

"I came in last second and saved your life, I'm so cool," Stephen bragged before turning to Ichirou. "You alright little guy?"

"Y-yes," Ichirou replied shakily.

"This isn't good," Marie said as she landed on their roof. "Samuel and Mina… they're"

She shook her head. "I can't believe this is happening"

Ichirou clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I'm going to avenge them"

"I'm going to kill every last one of those damn titans!"

* * *

After the citizens safely evacuated, the call to retreat came in. The lack of soldiers going over the wall concerned Luna. Sure there were a lot of inexperienced soldiers but not that many could've died.

"What's wrong Luna?" Adrian, the leader of her squad, inquired.

Luna looked to her with a regretful expression before hesitantly replying. "I don't think everyone got the call of retreat. This might seem crazy but I'm going to check if there's anyone still out there"

"You should go over the wall, I'll check," Adrian instructed.

"N-no, I won't let you go by yourself," Luna protested. "I'm coming with you"

"Your chance to die is almost definite yet you want to accompany me?" Adrian almost sounded amused. "You can come along but I'm not going to stay behind to help you, understand?"

"I understand," Luna nodded.

They left to survey the area for any remaining soldiers who were still fighting. The area was mostly empty, a few titans here and there but most were at the supply depot.

"Over there," Luna said, pointing to a group of soldiers.

The two approached the group.

"What are you guys doing?" Adrian asked. "The call for retreat came in a while ago"

"We don't have enough gas to make it," Davis informed, shaking his head. "The supply team are nowhere in sight"

The grim looks from the group became more prominent and upon closer inspection, all of them were cadets.

"Can you at least make it to the supply depot?" Luna asked.

"Yeah but the place is crowded with titans," Maya spoke up from behind him. "There's no way you can get in"

"Well you guys can't just hang around here and give up," Luna said, frowning.

"Hey Davis," Adrian said, looking to said male in question.

He perked up from his peculiar activity of cracking his fingers.

"Like Luna said, we can't just stick around here. To save a bunch of lives, we need you to convince them to go to the supply deploy," Adrian said whilst she watched Davis in mild curiosity.

He stretched his hands out before he spoke. "I've come to the same conclusion as you"

"So are you going to do it?" Adrian raised a brow.

Davis nodded. He turned to the other cadets and cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"We don't have enough gas to make it over the wall but we have enough to make it to the supply depot. Right now, we have two choices: one, to possibly refuel or gear and make it home safe or two, die right here as cowards." Davis sighed. "So what'll it be? Take or gambles and get out of here possibly alive or do nothing but die!?"

"Damn it, he's right," Claude muttered, fidgeting with his ODM gear. He had a look which screamed regret as he turned to look at the other frightened cadets. "Are you spineless bastards just going to cry here and wait for death or we going to do something?!"

After saying so he went off to the supply depot, followed by Adrian, Miriam and Luna. Davis looked too the cadets and raised his blade in the air.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

 **A/N: I forgot to mention before, I'm not following the anime story line anymore but rather the manga as I planned everything out there. I also need a coordinate titan possessor, so, if anyone wants to create a titan shifter to possess that, PM me (I need it before I submit the next chapter otherwise I'll just create it myself).**


End file.
